For a musical to resonate on an international level more than 50 years after its original Broadway debut demonstrates the brilliance of its creators.

With a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and choreography by Jerome Robbins, West Side Story battled its way onto Broadway from a vision of updating Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet for a beatnik and ballet proficient generation. Many Tony nominations followed in 1957, resulting in a win for Robbins’ choreography, but it lost the “Best Musical” award to the wholesome River City, Iowa spectacle The Music Man. The film adaptation fared much better earning ten Academy Awards including “Best Picture” in 1961.

All of this happened long before our two subjects jetéd into their parent’s lives. Courtney Ortiz and Nicholas Sipes joined the international touring cast earlier this year bringing the original magic of West Side Story to the European stage. The following interview was conducted in August, just before a short break brought them home to the States. They head back to Germany in October and finish out 2012 in Paris.More

Updated: Anger over a film about Prophet Mohammad escalated Tuesday in the Middle East when protests erupted in Egypt and Libya. While protesters shouted slogans and ripped apart an American flag in Cairo to condemn the anti-Islam film being produced in America; in Libya, protests turned violent at the compound of the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. Four men including U.S. ambassador Christopher Stevens were killed.

Vladimir Putin was sworn in as Russia’s next president despite clashes between helmeted riot police and anti-Putin protestors outside the Kremlin back in May 2012. This is Putin’s third stint as president, previously he was serving as Prime Minister.

Politics aside however, Vladimir Putin’s antics outside of the Kremlin, from adrenaline filled Judo practices to sultry shirtless horseback riding, have earned him the title of one of the most interesting men in the world. Mostly recently, he soared to new heights by flying with cranes. Here’s a look at the Russian leader in recent years.More

Getty photographer Matt Cardy photographed a fin whale that was stranded on a beach off the St Austell coast in England on August 13.

He says it was the first time for him photographing a distressed whale and a first time for most of the rescuers to have dealt with such a large mammal at 20 meters (65 ft). Fin whales are the second largest animal on the planet and an endangered species.

According to Cardy, he was listening to the 7 p.m. BBC headlines in his car when the broadcast reported news of the whale. A quick check of his satellite navigation, revealed that he was less than an hour away, so he headed to the beach – a random chance that he was so close that evening.

Three members of the Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot — Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Marina Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich — were found guilty of hooliganism on Friday after a judge decided that the band’s actions were motivated by religious hatred when they staged an anti-Kremlin protest at the altar of Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral. The judge sentenced the women to two years in jail.

“Tolokonnikova, Samutsevich and Alyokhina committed an act of hooliganism, a gross violation of public order showing obvious disrespect for society,” said the judge, reported Reuters.

The verdict has sparked protests in cities including Moscow, Oslo, Berlin, London and New York City, where supporters have dawned bright ski masks to show their solidarity with the band.

The Syrian cities of Aleppo and Homs are under siege as government forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad try to route out Syrian rebels. Meanwhile, violence has spilled over into Lebanon, one of four neighboring countries, where many refugees have fled to escape the crisis. United Nations investigators have reported that both Syrian government forces and rebels — to varying degrees — have committed war crimes including murder and torture.More

In the early morning light nearly 100 hot air balloons lifted off over the skies of Bristol, England as part of the 34th annual Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. The event is one of Europe’s largest balloon functions taking place in the city seen by many as the home of modern ballooning.

The meeting takes place in the hills of Ashton Court located outside Bristol. Around a half a million people from across the country and beyond come to the Fiesta according to event officials.

As this year’s Olympic athletes continue to show off their skills on the field, in the pool, on the court, in the ring, etc., they also continue to show off their skin art. So much in fact that last week’s Darkroom post on 50 more tattoos on the world’s best athletes simply wasn’t enough.

Six people are dead after a gunman fired at worshippers preparing for religious service inside a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin on Aug. 5. The victims, one woman and five men, ranged from 39 to 84. The gunman, who was shot by police, has been identified as Wade Michael Page, 40, a veteran who was in the military from 1992 to 1998 and was ineligible for reenlistment. According to Reuters, U.S. military sources said “Page had been discharged from the Army in 1998 for ‘patterns of misconduct’ and had been cited for being drunk on duty.” FBI officials have launched a domestic terrorism probe, investigating possible leads that Page was linked to white supremacist groups. The shooting has also sparked vigils as well as anti-American demonstrations overseas.More

In 2012, we’re very lucky to have unparalleled access to images from world events, such as those zipping through the wires from the Summer Olympic Games in London. And with the vast technological advances in digital photography, these images have become increasingly more intimate. This has led to a number of reports pointing out the tattoos adorning the bodies of this year’s athletes. And here’s another one.